Ecological Tipping Point Alert in High Temperature and Drought

In July 2025, 3,684 fires started in the Amazon rainforest in a single day, the highest number in the history of satellite monitoring. High temperatures and drought have caused water temperatures in rivers and lakes to soar, with daytime water temperatures exceeding 37°C in areas such as Lake Tefe, and reaching 41°C in some areas, directly contributing to the mass deaths of endangered species such as the Amazon river dolphin. The United Nations reports that extreme weather in 2023-2025 will reduce fish stocks in the Amazon by 40%, and hundreds of thousands of people will face a drinking water crisis. The combined effects of fire and drought are pushing rainforests to a “tipping point” – when deforestation rates exceed 20%, rainforests could shift from being a carbon sink to a carbon source, exacerbating global warming